Chapter 7: The Truth He Tried to Bury
“Don't open that door,” Darius whispered.
Tiana stood beside the dining table, staring at the front entrance.
Curtis knocked again.
“Tiana! I know you're in there!””
Cora appeared at the top of the stairs.
“What is happening?””
“Mom, take Zion into your bedroom,” Tiana said quietly.
“Lock the door.””
Cora looked at Darius, then at the laptop.
She understood immediately.
“Come on, sweetheart.””
Zion appeared behind her, holding Marcus's photograph.
“Is Curtis angry again?””
Tiana forced herself to smile.
“No, baby. Grandma just wants to show you something upstairs.””
“But I heard him shouting.””
Cora took his hand.
“Come with me, darling.””
The bedroom door closed.
Tiana turned toward Darius.
“Call the police if he tries to force his way inside.””
Darius nodded.
She walked to the front door but didn't unlock it.
“What do you want, Curtis?””
“I want you to open this door.””
“Why?””
“Because you're sitting in my house listening to a dead man's lies.””
Tiana felt her stomach tighten.
“Your house?””
“You heard me.””
“This house belongs to both of us.””
Curtis laughed.
“Not for much longer if you keep acting like this.””
Tiana glanced toward Darius.
He was already using his phone to photograph the laptop screen and save the available audio files.
“Tell me something,” Tiana said through the door.
“Did you know Marcus before you met me?””
Silence.
Then Curtis answered.
“I told you. We crossed paths through business.””
“What business?””
“Nothing you need to worry about.””
“Did you take money from him?””
The silence lasted longer this time.
Finally, Curtis said, “Open the door.””
Tiana stepped backward.
“No.””
A loud bang shook the door.
“I'm not asking again!””
Darius moved closer.
“I'm calling the police.””
Curtis heard him.
“Darius? You brought that man into my house?””
Tiana closed her eyes.
Curtis knew he was there.
That meant the recording wasn't the only thing he had been hiding.
“Curtis,” she said, “what did you do with Marcus's money?””
He lowered his voice.
“You need to understand something. Marcus was not the man you think he was.””
Tiana's grip tightened around her phone.
“Then explain.””
“He had debts. He made mistakes. He wasn't some perfect husband.””
“I never said he was perfect.””
“He was reckless. He trusted the wrong people.””
“Were you one of those people?””
Curtis didn't answer.
Then he said something that made Tiana's blood run cold.
“I was trying to protect you from finding out what kind of man he really was.””
The door handle moved.
Tiana stepped farther away.
Darius spoke into his phone.
“Yes, we need assistance. My friend is refusing to leave, and he's threatening to force entry.””
Curtis struck the door again.
“You think the police are going to help you? This is a family matter!””
Tiana raised her voice.
“No. It stopped being a family matter when you started hurting my child.””
The knocking stopped.
A few seconds later, Curtis spoke again.
“Zion is my responsibility too.””
“No, Curtis. Zion is not something you own.””
“He needs a father!””
“He had one.””
“And I'm the one who's here!””
Tiana looked at the photograph on the dining table.
Marcus was smiling, holding baby Zion.
She took a breath.
“You could have been someone he loved. You could have been someone he trusted. But you decided the only way to become important was to erase the man who came before you.””
Curtis didn't respond.
Then footsteps moved away from the door.
Tiana watched through the narrow window as he walked toward his truck.
But he didn't leave.
He stood beside the driver's door, holding his phone to his ear.
Darius approached.
“The police are on their way.””
Tiana nodded.
“Did you save the recording?””
“I saved everything I could.””
“Can we play it again?””
Darius reopened the folder.
The fourth recording was still there.
He clicked it.
Marcus's voice returned.
“I need to explain something about Curtis. When I first met him, he was introduced as a business partner by someone I trusted. We were discussing a property investment. I put money into the project, but Curtis used documents that weren't what he claimed they were.””
Tiana leaned closer.
Marcus continued.
“I confronted him. He promised to return the money. He even came to my apartment to apologize.””
Darius looked at Tiana.
“Marcus told me about this.””
The recording continued.
“I later discovered that Curtis had used my name in connection with another financial arrangement. I couldn't prove everything before I got sick, but I kept the paperwork.””
Tiana whispered, “What paperwork?””
Marcus answered as if he could hear her.
“It's in a folder with my name. I gave it to Darius. If Curtis ever tries to come between you and Zion, ask Darius to find it.””
Darius froze.
He looked at his laptop bag.
Then he opened another compartment.
“I think I have it.””
He removed a thin brown folder.
The label read:
*MARCUS BROOKS — FINANCIAL RECORDS.*
Tiana stared at it.
Inside were photocopies of bank transfers, property agreements, and letters between Marcus and Curtis.
One document showed a transfer of $18,500.
Another showed a signature that appeared to belong to Marcus.
But Tiana knew the handwriting.
It wasn't his.
She looked at Darius.
“Did Curtis forge his signature?””
“I don't know yet.””
Tiana turned another page.
There was a handwritten note from Marcus.
If anything happens to me, make sure Zion's account remains untouched. No one should have access to it except the person legally appointed to manage his inheritance.
Tiana felt sick.
“What happened to the account?””
Darius shook his head.
“I don't know. We need to speak to the attorney.””
Outside, a police car pulled into the driveway.
Curtis immediately straightened.
An officer stepped out.
Curtis began talking before the officer reached him.
Tiana watched from the window.
Then her phone vibrated.
A text from Curtis.
*Curtis:* You have no idea what you're doing. If you destroy this marriage, don't expect me to keep quiet about Marcus.
Tiana looked at the message.
She typed one sentence.
*Tiana:* I'm not afraid of the truth anymore.
A few minutes later, two officers entered the house.
They spoke with Tiana and Darius separately.
Curtis remained outside, visibly agitated.
One officer eventually approached Tiana.
“Ma'am, your husband says this is a disagreement over personal belongings.””
Tiana placed the donation receipt on the table.
Then she showed the photographs of the damaged frame, the hidden notebook, and the messages about the recording.
Finally, she opened Marcus's financial folder.
“This is no longer about a haircut,” she said.
The officer examined the documents.
“Do you have reason to believe money was taken?””
“I do.””
“Then I suggest you preserve every document and avoid confronting him further until the records can be reviewed.””
Tiana nodded.
Curtis was allowed to leave after the officers completed their initial conversation.
But before getting into his truck, he looked through the window.
His eyes met Tiana's.
He didn't look angry anymore.
He looked frightened.
That night, Tiana slept beside Zion.
Cora stayed in the guest room.
Darius left after promising to contact Marcus's former attorney.
At 2:17 a.m., Tiana woke to the sound of her phone vibrating.
A new email had arrived.
The sender was Marcus's former attorney, Elaine Porter.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: ZION BROOKS TRUST — UNAUTHORIZED WITHDRAWALS.*
Tiana opened it.
The first sentence made her sit upright.
Ms. Brooks, I believe we have a serious problem. Your husband has been attempting to access your son's inheritance for several months.
She scrolled.
Then she reached the final paragraph.
There is one additional matter. The person who originally introduced Curtis to Marcus was not a stranger.
Tiana stared at the screen.
May you like
The email ended with a name.
*Your own mother, Cora.*
